1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to games normally played in an arcade environment, and more particularly to such games played by using a pusher to move objects from a moving display surface.
2. Background of the Related Art
Games of many types are played in arcade environments. One type of game is a rotary push game which utilizes a display surface having a number of prizes or other objects displayed thereon. A player uses a push mechanism to physically move one or more objects along the surface and off the surface into a collection device. The player receives the object(s) he or she pushed off the display surface. A vending machine uses a similar concept to distribute items to a buyer.
An example of a rotary push game is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,525, of Balles et al., which describes a game having a rotating plane member which has objects placed upon it. An arm member is rotatably maneuverable by a player across a portion of the plane member. By coordinating the movement of the arm member in an arc above the plane member with the rotation of the plane member, a player can dislodge objects from the rotating member.
Another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,249, of Barlow, which describes a game having a rotatable disk located in an enclosed housing. A number of objects are placed on the rotating disk, each object having a specific color. A player manipulates a rotatable arm member over the disk to catch objects of a certain color and place the objects in a pocket.
Yet another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,057,880, of E. E. Collison et al., which describes a vending machine having a turntable with a central opening. A boom is used to move specific objects into the opening to be dispensed to a buyer.
The rotary push games of the prior art, while enjoyable, are limited when dispensing objects onto the display surface. The automatic dispensing apparatus of the prior art typically does not distribute objects onto the playing surface in an even, predictable manner and desired orientation. This can be a disadvantage when an object includes designs or markings on only one side of the object which are intended to be displayed to players of the game. In addition, flat or short objects are not reliably moved with the push arms of the prior art. This is because many prior art push games have push arm tips which are separated from the display surface to avoid wear of the tip and the surface, and therefore cannot engage flat or short objects. These limitations can be undesirable for a rotary push game offering flat or low-profile objects which should be dispensed and presented in a predictable distribution and orientation.